Should a pastor ever use Greek or Hebrew in the pulpit? Is there ever a time when it is appropriate to say "In the Greek this word means..."? Pastors, academics, and laypersons have debated this for years. Those in favor of the idea cite the need for greater clarity and the wealth of nuanced meaning available; those opposed believe it creates an authoritative tone and perhaps even undermines the average layman's confidence in the English translation.
In what may come as a surprise to many, the renowned Greek scholar Bill
Mounce agrees with the naysayers. Over at the
Koinonia blog
he writes,
"I encourage my students to never say, "In the Greek …." Why would you do that? To impress the audience with your academic acumen? To convince them that you are right when you can’t prove your point with biblical logic? Perhaps I am being a little harsh, but I am sensitive to pastors claiming to be an authority and putting themselves up on a pedestal. That’s not where servants belong."For those of you tempted to point out Mounce's (unfortunate) use of Ad Hominem argumentation, I should note that some times pastors
do use Greek or Hebrew simply to impress their audience. However, most men that I know are sincerly attempting to shed light on God's Word, and on this point perhaps Mounce has been rather uncharitable. After all, it could just as easily be claimed that most of the naysayers are ignorant of Greek and Hebrew and are just jealous of those that know it. Jealousy is a nasty little vermin that growls and bites (but then again, so is pride).
Ultimately the issue isn't about the pastor's motivation. We should hear Mounce's challenge but at the end of the day this is a heart issue, and we can never see inside another pastor's heart. The real issue before us is whether or not referring to Greek or Hebrew is wise
in and of itself.
In a
follow up post, Mounce shares the following story & principle:
"Before the ESV was available, I used another translation that was a little freer in its translation philosophy. There were two Sundays in a row where I had to correct its interpretation to make what I thought was the true point of the passage. After the service a new Christian came to me and asked, "Can I not trust my Bible?" Ouch! So here is one of the big no-noes from the pulpit. Do not correct the English Bible. Ever! Never say, "the translators got this wrong." The damage you can do to a person’s trust in Scripture is unimaginable."Any pastor who is considering refering to the original language should stop and re-read the above paragraph. While I believe Mounce is too rigid in his principle, the reality is that we
can do immense spiritual damage to young, weak, or intellectually limited believers. Despite our intentions, frequent or unwise appeals to Greek/Hebrew can undermine confidence in the Bible these individuals hold in their hands.
Three years ago I would have adamately disagreed with Mounce. But now, almost three years into a senior pastorate, I have moved closer to Mounce's position. An excellent example of what Mounce is saying can be found in the sermons of John Calvin. Though Calvin readily interacts with the biblical languages in his commentaries, he rarely (if ever) does so in his sermons. He finds a way of expressing the same idea without appealing to the language.
I personally do not believe pastors appeal to the language due to pride. Instead, I think the issue is laziness. It is simply easier. Taking something that is somewhat technical and bringing it down to street level is incredibly difficult. Frankly, I can put together an exegetically precise sermon with profound doctrinal depth in a matter of hours. But it takes me three times longer to take that material and turn it into something that will appropriately engage the people in the pew. It is this second part that I find so difficult. The exegsis comes naturally....making the sermon practical is where things become difficult.
Still, I am convinced that there are times when using Greek and Hebrew words are important. They are a handful of key biblical words that I want my people to know, and once in a while the pastor will be forced to bring clarity (particularly when the various versions differ wildly on a particular verse). Mounce recognizes that same thing when he writes,
"maybe I am a little harsh on this point. I remember after one sermon my older son Tyler saying to me, 'Dad, I would like it better if you would actually teach us some of the Greek words and what they mean.' And in a recent sermon series I did teach two Hebrew words, 'Yahweh' and 'hesed.'"FULL DISCLOSURE:
1. I believe it is important to occasionally refer to Greek & Hebrew.
2. I believe I do it more than is necessary
, and recognize the need to further develop the skill in preaching in a practical, non-heady manner.
